Co-signed by TransparentBusiness: White House Announces Commitments to the Call to Action for Private Sector Engagement on the Global Refugee Crisis

The White House, Office of the Press Secretary

Sept 20, 2016

Today, the White House is announcing that 51 companies from across the American economy have made new, measurable, and significant commitments to aid refugees in the United States and around the world in response to the President's June
Call to Action. These companies, representing more than 2.5 million employees, more than $775 billion in annual revenue, and more than $3.2 trillion in market capitalization, are standing with the Administration to demonstrate that private sector innovation and resources can have a durable impact on refugees residing in countries on the frontlines of the global refugee crisis and in countries of resettlement, like the United States. In total, these 51 companies have committed to investing, donating, or raising more than $650 million. These commitments will provide:

Support for more than 6.3 million refugees across more than 20 countries;

Educational opportunities for more than 80,000 refugees, including through digital content, mentorship, and classroom support;

Employment opportunities for more than 220,000 refugees, including through mentorship, training, internships, and job placements;

Greater financial inclusion and economic integration for more than 4 million refugees; and

Partnerships with more than 70 refugee-serving NGOs.

There are more than 65 million displaced people in the world today, the highest number on record since the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) began collecting statistics. More than 21 million of these people have crossed international borders in search of safety and are assessed as refugees. From this population, a small number of refugees are provided opportunities for third-country resettlement. It is important to highlight that refugees who are admitted to the United States undergo the highest level of security screening of any category of traveler to the U.S. including the involvement of the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State and the Department of Defense.

A crisis of this scale requires more than government action. In issuing the
Call to Action, President Obama challenged the U.S. private sector to draw on its unique expertise, resources and entrepreneurial spirit to help refugees regain control over their lives and integrate into their new communities. Their response is unprecedented.

Call to Action Impact Areas

The
Call to Action was principally focused on generating new commitments in three "impact areas":

Education - Facilitating refugee children and young adults' education by ensuring that refugee students can access schools of all levels and creating quality long-distance learning platforms and programs.

Enablement - Increasing humanitarian financing, strengthening infrastructure and access to resources needed for refugees to become self-reliant, and supporting countries taking new steps to welcome refugees or allow them to work and attend school.

Partnership for Refugees: Catalyzing Durable Solutions

To facilitate private sector commitments in response to the Call to Action, the White House announced in June the creation of the Partnership for Refugees, an initiative established through collaboration between the Department of State and USA for UNHCR, with significant support from Accenture Federal Services. The
Partnership for Refugees has provided guidance to private sector organizations that have wished to take action and has helped to ensure that their pledges are sustainable and responsive to refugees' needs. On November 1, 2016, the Tent Foundation will assume control over the operations and management of the Partnership for Refugees, thereby ensuring the long-term vitality of this initiative. Other federal agencies supporting this initiative include the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Department of Homeland Security, the Small Business Administration, and the Department of Commerce.

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Private Sector Participants to the
Call to Action

In response to the President's Call to Action, the following companies have put forward commitments to address the global refugee crisis. You can view their detailed commitments here.